"Flying High"

[RS Davis]

We're flying high. The hundredth anniversary of the
first airplane flight of the Wright brothers has
propelled many stories celebrating their
achievement.

But one aspect of the story is not getting all the
press it deserves.

These days, few promising technological advances
fail to trigger platoons of politicians whooping up
the benefits of government subsidies. Of course,
what can get lost in the shuffle are the advances
that seem promising only to the innovators
themselves. Innovators who may not be plugged into
the political network.

Well, let's take our handy-dandy time machine and
look at how the Wright brothers did things. They did
have competition in the race to make the first non-
crashing flying machine. Eager to beat them was the
well-connected Samuel Pierpont Langley, who got
grants for $50,000 from the federal government,
matched by a grant from the Smithsonian. That's
about a million dollars in today's money.

Meanwhile, the Wright brothers developed their
airplane with just a thousand dollars of their own
bicycle-shop income -- and their superior knowledge
of aerodynamic design. They had to build even the
engine themselves, because no one else would craft
one to their specifications. Mr. Langley did seem
ahead in the contest for a while, but both of his
attempts late in 1903 to launch a manned plane -- by
catapult -- failed.

We all know what happened at Kitty Hawk with the
Wright brothers' better design and lower, private
funding. They launched the first sustained, manned,
propelled flight using only what they had -- proving
that human beings can fly, in more ways than one.

This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.
________________________________________

Vote to keep Common Sense! Here's why:

www.termlimits.org/Press/Common_Sense/20031014careerpoliticians.html

Cast your vote:

www.termlimits.org/donate/cs.html
________________________________________

Paul's latest column at Townhall.com:

www.townhall.com/columnists/pauljacob/archive.shtml

To subscribe to Common Sense or notify us of
an email address change, send a message
to [e-mail]

YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT KEEPS COMMON SENSE ALIVE.
Contribute now. Visit our donation page at
www.termlimits.org/donate/cs.html
to donate at subscriber, supporter, sustainer
or platinum level (we offer bonuses for each
level of support). Thank you!

PROMOTE COMMON SENSE! If you wish to reprint
Common Sense in your print publication or web
site, you have our permission to do so, and we
appreciate it. We only ask that you let us know
-- and let your readers know how to subscribe
to Common Sense by email. Readers can subscribe
by sending an email to [e-mail]
or by signing up at the Common Sense home page:
www.termlimits.org/Press/Common_Sense/

The opinions expressed in Common Sense are Paul
Jacob's and may not necessarily represent the
position of U.S. Term Limits or the U.S. Term
Limits Foundation. Paul's daily commentaries are
heard on radio stations nationwide and on the
Internet.

E-mail: [e-mail]
Call: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Write: Common Sense / U.S. Term Limits Foundation /
10 G Street, NE / Suite 410 / Washington, DC / 20002.

To find out more about the term limits movement,
visit www.termlimits.org